HYDERABAD : Paving the way for extended cold storage for bodies outside any hospital premises, a mortuary is being set up at Swarg Vatika, RTC Colony, Trimulgherry, in Secunderabad. The new facility, which can accommodate four bodies at once, will be made available to the public from January 29.
A large number of bereaved families in the city find it difficult to find a mortuary to preserve bodies of the recently departed for a few days. Presently, the mortuary facilities available, particularly in a few corporate hospitals, are proving to be expensive.
These hospitals often prioritise in-house patients over external cases. Moreover, government institutions like Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital, although equipped with mortuaries, are often far from residential areas. Sometimes there will be no place to preserve the bodies in the mortuaries, complicating the matter further for the grieving families.
In light of these challenges, the SVT has come out with a 24-hour service for preserving the bodies at the mortuary at a nominal cost of Rs 1,000 per day, to cover incidental charges like power consumption and caretaker.
Surender Pal Singh, founder-trustee and president of SVT, told TNIE, “The families using the cremation facility have been expressing a growing need for a mortuary. The reasons for this request are quite compelling. Many families have members currently living abroad for higher studies, employment, or business. In the unfortunate event of a death in the family, the need arises to preserve the deceased’s body for a few days, ranging from four to seven days.”
He further noted that this necessity is more complicated, especially in multi-storied apartments and gated communities, where neighbours object to bodies being kept in flats, particularly overnight. They cite concerns for the well-being of children and senior citizens, Surender added.
Surender said the total cost of setting up this mortuary, including equipment, civil construction, and generator backup is around Rs 20 lakh for which donations were received from SVT trustees. “We believe that this facility will serve the community effectively and we have provisions for future expansion based on the facility’s usage,’’ he added.
The eco-friendly cremation ground, strategically located in Trimulgherry, is designed to provide solace to bereaved families while embracing environment-friendly practices.
Swarg Vatika undertakes free cremation of unclaimed bodies. For BPL families 50 per cent discount is offered for cremation. It has puja halls for performing last rites as well.